


Cold Colored

by Ambience



Category: Ao Oni, Ib (Video Game)
Genre: Crossover
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-06
Updated: 2016-05-06
Packaged: 2018-06-06 18:31:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6765103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ambience/pseuds/Ambience
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>At the edge of town sits a mansion.<br/>The inside is closed off, with little to no escape.<br/>If someone comes back,<br/>they find it not what they remember before.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cold Colored

A large town sits at the border of a forest. On that border, sits a mansion. That mansion was home to something many were aware of, but not many truly knew.  
Being on the edge of town, the dilapidated structure wasn't visited very often. One would have to go out of their way in order to visit it.  
It's common knowledge, however, that doing so isn't wise. Many steer away from the mansion.

The clock on the bedside table strikes seven. The resounding noise that follows was enough to wake young Ib. Her eyes still glazed over from waking up so suddenly, she made her way to the bathroom. School was off for the day, and her parents had agreed to let her go out with a friend.  
Initially, Ib's father was wary of the twenty-something man who introduced himself as Ib's friend. The man was scraggly, hair groomed poorly and in desperate need of something else to wear other than the ragged coat he had on. Yet, rather oddly, Ib's mother was more accepting. The usually stern woman regarded the man with a smile, and took note of his profuse politeness. Despite the somewhat rough introduction and friction between him and the father, Garry soon found his way into part of their lives.  
Ib quickly dressed herself in her usual clothing. A white dress shirt fringed with a red skirt seemed to be all that she wore nowadays. With somewhat sloppy movements, she ran to the front door and hurriedly pulled on her socks and shoes. Her mother, who had also just woken up not too long ago, called to her daughter.  
"Ib, he won't be here for at least a while. You need to eat breakfast." The woman was somewhat worried for Ib, but felt happy for her all the same. Ib was a very solitary girl. She rarely conversed with anyone her age, much less befriended. Yet along stumbled a stranger whom Ib seemed instantly attached to. Ib's mother trusted her daughter.  
The young girl nodded and promptly removed her shoes. Garry would not arrive for at least another hour. Until then, she should wait.

At the edge of the forest sat a mansion. Near that mansion, an adolescent boy inched near. Despite him gathering the courage to even arrive within sight of the building, he refused to set foot on the vast front lawn. It had been nearly half a year since he was last inside.  
Hiroshi was still haunted by what lay within the building.  
He had been coming to the mansion every day for two months. Hiroshi forgot why he even frequented the horrid place. Was it a hope to see what remained of his friends? A confirmation that he was not going insane? What the boy wanted wasn't clear anymore, but as if in an attempt to subjugate his current fears, he was there. Hiroshi laid his back to a nearby tree and sat. He trained his eye on the mansion, hoping to catch a glimpse of something of substance.

A sharp knock resounds throughout the household. Ib, whom had been bouncing on her heels in anticipation, immediately grabbed the doorknob and swung the door open. Garry was standing right outside. His appearance was a little better kept than usual, as he had combed any loose strands of hair into place and gotten his coat cleaned. Nevertheless, it was still Garry, with his worn coat and pale colored hair.  
Ib's parent made sure to see her off. The mother rattled off a list of things to note, which Garry responded with a flurry of, "Yes, ma'am," "I'll make sure, ma'am," and other phrases of similar flavor. The father was relatively silent, only speaking when Ib and her chaperon were to leave the premises.  
"Make sure you're back by four."  
Garry responded with an "I will, sir," and turned to make his way along with Ib.

Hiroshi pulled a notebook and an apple out of a bag he had brought. He set the book down on lap, and took a bite of the fruit. The tense feeling resounding through his body made it difficult to swallow his food, but Hiroshi took it as a challenge. The fear of the mansion was the first obstacle he would have to overcome in order to fully understand what had happened to his friends and himself. Chewed apple resting uncomfortably within his stomach, the teenage boy opened his notebook and pulled out a pen.  
For a very long time, the only sound to be heard was that of a pen scratching paper.

"Hm? What is it?"  
Garry turned to Ib, who was tugging at his pant leg. She turned and pointed at nearby toy store. It was small, tucked between two other buildings much larger in comparison. The store had a simple charm to it. The tiles that lined the roof were made of a red clay, and frilly curtains laced the windows.  
"Do you want to go inside and look?" Garry inquired.  
Ib nodded.  
A warm smile spread across Garry's face. "Alright, then. We can look at some toys for a while. But-" he raised his hand, pointing for emphasis, "-we can't be too long. We have to go and eat, don't we?"  
Ib nodded a second time.  
The two walked into the toy store. Ib instantly gravitated towards the assortment of bunny shaped objects to the left of the shop. Garry scanned the shelves, only to grimace when spotting a pile of stitched cloth dolls. Twenty minutes passed and Garry went to fetch Ib. She stood stock still, observing a ball she had in her hands. There were rabbit prints scattered upon the surface, all seemingly mid bound. Garry leaned over Ib's shoulder and read the price tag.  
"Would like to have that ball?" Garry asked.  
Ib squeezed the spherical object slightly. She responded with her usual method; a nod.  
Two people walked out of the toy store, the smaller clutching a new gift. They made their way down the road. But, as fate would have it, the road was closed off.  
Garry cursed under his breath, and strode towards a side street. For the time being, they would have to take a detour. It was still early, so it was possible for them to simply walk to the cafe and walk home. It would just be a long walk.

A long, paved pathway lead to the mansion. The pathway was overcome with weeds and other invading organisms, and it was riddled with cracks. Hiroshi stood at the very end, hoping to glance something in the windows and to also suppress his dread of the place. He stood on the sidewalk, only turning his attention away from his subject to see the individuals walking towards him.  
One of them was a tall man, still somewhat young and rather shifty looking. The way he wore his hair and the large, tattered jacket did not help his case. Next to him was the polar opposite in appearance. A young girl, perfectly groomed and perfectly dressed. She was clutching a pastel colored ball and muttering something to the man next to her. They weren't looking in the direction that their feet were taking them, and Hiroshi was much too lost in thought. Collision was inevitable.  
The young girl teetered backwards, losing grip on her possession. The tall man caught the girl before she fell.  
¨Ah! are you okay?¨ the man exclaimed. He helped the child to her feet. She yet again muttered something weakly. "Good, that's good." He then turned his attention to Hiroshi. "I'm very sorry about that. We weren't looking where we were going."  
Hiroshi waved away the apology. "No, I shouldn't have been standing in the middle of the sidewalk." He then straightened himself and addressed the duo. "But it is weird to see people so far out here. What exactly are you two doing?" Hiroshi eyed the older man.  
The tall man bristled a bit at the boy's gaze. "We were just going to a local cafe. There was a roadblock, so we had to take a detour. Wait," the taller man's brows furrowed. "Why is someone like you here if 'it's weird to see people far out here?'"  
"Well, I..." Hiroshi had no good explanation to give to the stranger. "I'm just... Hanging out." He dropped his gaze as if to apologize.  
"Fine, then." The man answered curtly. "Ib, we need to go." He turned to his side. "Ib?"  
The girl who had been so tightly bound to his side was now sprinting down the paved pathway leading to the old mansion.  
She was chasing after the ball she was holding earlier. The toy way bouncing at a fairly high speed, faster than the speed the girl could move her short legs. The toy went straight towards the mansion, bouncing straight inside the front door.  
Wait, when did the door open? A panic seized Hiroshi. Momentarily forgetting his own safety, he bolted down the walkway. His priorities were now set; stop the girl, and get the hell out of there. Said girl had just entered the house. Hiroshi reached the doorway only a little while afterwards, and made a point to fling the door open before entering.  
The girl was standing in the entrance hall, picking up the ball she had run after. She looked to the gasping boy behind her with confusion written on her face. Hiroshi opened his mouth to speak, but not before being interrupted..  
"Hey- what- are- you- doing?" The tall man from earlier stumbled into the building, panting every word he spoke. Everyone was inside the mansion now. Hiroshi's panic had heightened.  
"We need to get out of this place now!" he screeched with a raspy breath.  
The young girl (wasn't her name "Eve," or something of the sort?) took slow steps towards the taller man, a mix of guilt and worry written upon her face. The man shot a look to Hiroshi, mostly obscured by his messy hair, and then walked to the young girl's side.  
A clicking noise sounded behind Hiroshi's Back.  
His eyes nearly popped out of his head.  
He spun around.  
The door was closed. Although he knew the answer, Hiroshi rattled the doorknob to check if it was locked.  
It was locked.  
Every being of his body screamed under his skin.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first work.  
> As I really do not know what I am doing, criticism is appreciated.
> 
> I came up with this idea when playing through Ib a second time. The blue doll sequences reminded me a bit of Ao Oni's, so I wanted to see the two games converge a bit.  
> I also wanted to stress an idea I had for something else, but that is a little more indulgent, and I want to save that for later when I decide to edit my work.


End file.
